Scorpia rewrite
by monkeywithapen
Summary: Camryn Albright is CIA agent who is transferred to London. Her uncle is mysteriously killed by a sniper, and now MI6 has her under its thumb. Camryn teams up with teen spy, Alex Rider, and together, the two teen spies dive into the deadly Scorpia.
1. The Beginning

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the _Alex Rider_ series, although I wish I did. _Scorpia_ is the fifth book of the series. It's also my favorite so I made my own version of it with my character, Camryn Albright. So this is kind of like my own little fan fiction type thing. Hope you guys like it.**

I woke up with a jolt to a loud, slapping sound. The history teacher had slapped a pink piece of paper on my desk. I stared at it, dazed. My mind didn't register.

"You've managed to fall asleep in my class for the THIRD TIME THIS BLOODY WEEK!" Mr. Oakland said angrily.

I groaned. Not again! I couldn't help being so bored in History. I heard the popular girls snickering in the back. I was so tempted to turn around and give them the finger. I put my head back on my desk in despair. My uncle was going to kill me.

Alex Rider waved a pink detention slip at me. "You're not the only one," he said, smiling at me.

I couldn't help smiling back. He was so nice to me – and cute too. Ever since I transferred to London, I've felt like such an outsider. I missed the United States. I missed New York City. I liked where I lived. I had friends. I had a life. Alex was the only friend I'd had since I'd been in the U.K.

So, why was I transferred to London, you ask? Okay, there's this one little fact that you'll need to know in order to understand my story. I'm not your ordinary fifteen-year-old girl. I'm a government tool – CIA Special Agent to be specific. So anyway, getting to the point, the reason why I'm in London is because of my last mission. It was a horrible disaster that left me devastated and a complete mental wreck. I've always wanted to go to London, so my superiors sent me here to take some time off to get my head straight.

My stay in London had been great. Well, that is, until school started. I can't complain though. School is better than doing the CIA's dirty work. I don't even get a paycheck for working for the government!

The bell finally rang, and everyone rushed out of the class to go home. I trudged down the hall toward detention. I gave my slip to the monitor and sat in the back. A few moments later, Alex came in and sat next to me.

"I think that was Mr. Oakland's most boring lecture yet," Alex said quietly. "I don't blame you for falling asleep. I do too – everyday."

I smiled. "It's nice to know that I'm not the only one."

"Words can't express my hatred for History."

"Mr. Rider!" the detention monitor interrupted. "This is detention! Shut up, unless you want to stay for an extra hour."

Alex slumped down in his seat. He gave the monitor a dirty look. The monitor tapped her pen on her desk as she scanned the detention room. Suddenly, I had an idea. I took a pencil and notebook from my school bag. I opened the notebook and began randomly scribbling. I stopped and tapped my pencil in a rhythmic pattern. Morse code! (Whada ya know…you can learn stuff from druggies in detention.)

To my surprise, Alex responded by drumming his fingers on the desk.

_You're a genius!_

I smiled. _I know._

We tapped messages back and forth for the next hour. Once the detention bell rang, we stood up and left. Alex and I unchained our bikes from the bike rack and began peddling home. Just as we left campus, I saw smoke rising in the distance. A house was on fire. The house my uncle and I stayed in was in that same direction. I peddled as fast as I could until I finally reached the source of the smoke. My grim assumption was correct. The house I'd been staying in was on fire. I scanned the crowded street and found my uncle.

"Uncle Jon! What happened?" I called out, hopping off the bike and running to my uncle.

"Camryn! Why are you so late?! I was worried!" Uncle Jon scolded me.

"I was in detention."

"Again?!"

"Heh, heh…oops…"

Uncle Jon sighed. "I came back from the store and the house was burning. I really don't know what happened."

I watched as firemen worked to put out the fire. Alex put his hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, I heard the familiar crack of a sniper rifle. My insides twisted in a thousand knots. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my uncle's body lurch forward before collapsing onto the sidewalk. My first reaction was to scream. Two more shots were fired.


	2. MI6

A week later, I sat in the living room of my uncle's old friend, Mrs. Jones. I didn't know her first name, and I could really care less. I had gone back to the States for two days for Uncle Jon's funeral. All of my friends were there for me. I wanted to stay in New York where I would have people around me to help me cope with losing my last living relative. But no. The wretched CIA shipped me back to London. I didn't understand why I couldn't stay home.

My cell phone rang and made me jump. Caller ID said it was Alex.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Camryn."

"Hey, Alex. What's up?"

"Just making sure you're okay. I'm really sorry about your uncle. I know how you feel." Alex lost both his parents and his uncle (his only relative) just as I have.

"I'm okay, I guess."

"You don't sound okay."

I knew I sounded like crap. "I can't help wondering why my uncle was killed by a sniper. There had to be a motive that I'm obviously missing."

"Camryn!" Mrs. Jones called. "I need to take you to meet someone. Hurry up and get changed."

"Okay!" I called back. I went into my room and pulled clothes out of my closet. "Alex, I have to go meet someone. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Yeah, bye."

I hung up and changed my clothes. I climbed into the front passenger seat of Mrs. Jones' car.

"So, who am I meeting?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon."

I stared out the window at the crowded streets of London. A few months ago, I was so happy to be here. Now, I only wanted to go home to the States. A few minutes later, Mrs. Jones parked the car outside of a bank on Liverpool Street.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, quite perplexed.

"You'll find out soon."

"Is that all you can say?"

The woman didn't answer me. She took a peppermint from her purse and popped it into her mouth. I rolled my eyes. The woman ate a peppermint every ten minutes! Reluctantly, I followed Mrs. Jones into the bank. She led me to the back room. It was set up like a conference room. At one end of the table sat a middle-aged man with thick, black-rimmed, nerd glasses. Mrs. Jones sat down next to him. On his other side was Alex Rider.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" I asked in shock.

"You know each other?" the man asked.

Alex nodded, a surprise expression on his face. "We go to school together."

"Oh, good. Introductions will go a lot faster," the man said blankly. "I am Alan Blunt. I'm the director of the British MI6 Special Operations."

"Whoa, whoa, wait. The director of _what_?" I interrupted.

"MI6 Special Operations."

Mrs. Jones chimed in. "We need your help."

"What for? I'm just a kid."

"No, you're not. You're a CIA Special Agent."

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I was speechless. How did they find out? The only other person who knew was my uncle.

"We contacted the CIA a few months ago. We asked for a good undercover agent to aid one of our own. The CIA told us that they sent an agent over, but we never expected to receive a teenager," Alan Blunt explained.

"Is that a problem?" I challenged.

"I was hoping for someone with more experience," Mr. Blunt said coolly. "Well, anyway, I trust the CIA know what they're doing."

I could feel my temper rising as I realized why I was sent to London. The CIA didn't send me here for a break. I was here on an assignment. The government didn't care about me. It was using me, yet again.

"You've heard of Scorpia, haven't you?" Mr. Blunt asked.

"Of course." Scorpia was the biggest international terrorist organization that ever existed. For the past few years, Scorpia hasn't launched any major attacks.

"Scorpia is looking for new blood. They want younger members."

"How young?"

"Late teens to early twenties."

I finally sat down at the table beside Mrs. Jones. "What do you need me for?"

"Alex refuses to go to Scorpia alone, so you will go undercover with him. You are two secret agents who are tired of government work, and you are seeking revenge by joining Scorpia."

"That's going to be tough. The tests and training to get into Scorpia are almost impossible," I said.

"That's exactly why you and Alex are going together. You have some experience that he doesn't have."

By that, Mr. Blunt meant that I had the experience of killing. I looked at Alex. He gave me an uneasy look. Part of the test to get into Scorpia was to kill all the other competitors.

"I couldn't kill another human," Alex said shakily. "I just can't."

"No worries," Mr. Blunt said. "Camryn has experience with this sort of thing."

"That doesn't mean I'll do it," I said coldly. I refused to be used again. I have killed many times on missions. I've been in this business for almost a year, so it was nothing new to me. I hated to kill, but sometimes it was necessary. It was all part of the job. This time, it was a problem. I wasn't sure if I could do my job anymore.

"Why not, Miss Albright?"

"I don't think I can do it again," I said. "Not after what happened on my last assignment."

"I see. I read the report from your uncle on that," Mrs. Jones said.

"Think about it, Camryn," Mr. Blunt told me. "I need a definite answer by tomorrow." He stood up and left the room.

"If you decide to help," Mrs. Jones said, "we'll give you the details tomorrow. Alex, walk Camryn back to my apartment. I have some work to do before I leave."

Alex and I left the bank and began walking to Mrs. Jones' apartment. There was an awkward silence between the two of us.

"What happened on your last assignment?" Alex asked, finally breaking the silence.

I had never talked about that assignment to anyone. The only people who knew were my superiors and myself. Even Uncle Jon didn't know. "I really haven't talked to anyone about it."

"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I understand."

We fell back into silence again.

"I was on a sniper team to take out a serial killer from the U.K. that illegally came to the US. I had a perfect view and a clear shot. A little kid came into view at the second I fired the rifle. I was distracted. I accidentally hit the kid instead of the killer." I stopped myself before I began to cry.

"Camryn, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I can go to Scorpia alone. I don't want to, but I can."

"I'll do it," I decided. Maybe this was the only chance I had to redeem myself. I had to get up and move on. There would be no mistakes this time. Alex had been so great to me since I came to London. He helped me so much. Now, it was my turn to return the favor.

"You don't have to – really. If you don't want to do this-"

"I want to do it."

"Are you sure? Scorpia is dangerous."

"I know."

We fell silent again. This conversation couldn't get any more awkward.

"My dad used to work for Scorpia," Alex said after a few minutes.

Yeah, scratch what I just said about the awkwardness. This conversation could – and just did – get more awkward.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he was the best assassin Scorpia ever had. That's why I'm scared to go to Scorpia alone. Everyone says how I'm so much like my dad. I don't want to turn out like him. I don't want to be a killer."

"You know you have to kill the competition to get into Scorpia."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"How about this: we'll enter as a double," I suggested.

"A team?"

"Yeah. We could work something out."

"I don't know if Scorpia will allow that."

"You said your father was their best assassin. They'll probably make an exception for his son."

"What if they don't?"

"Then we'll worry about it when it comes up."

"Okay." Alex sighed and ran his hand through his thick, dusty blonde hair. I just then noticed how attractive he really was. I turned my gaze away as the blush crept into my cheeks. A few minutes later, Alex and I walked into the apartment building and rode the elevator up to Mrs. Jones' apartment. I took out my key and opened the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said as he turned to leave.

"Yeah, bye."


	3. The Assignment

The next morning, it was a wet, stormy Saturday. I sat in the conference room at the bank waiting for Alex. After at least ten minutes, Alex came through the door, his hair dripping.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, sitting next to me. He took off his sweatshirt and dried his hair with it.

"So, how is this going to work out?" I asked.

"Okay, you two will be going into Scorpia as a team," Mr. Blunt explained. "You're government agents who are tired of being used. You will use your own names, so in case Scorpia wants to research, your files match up perfectly. We can't have any suspicion."

"Won't Scorpia be suspicious if Camryn and I are working together on the basis of just friendship?" Alex asked.

"Yes, so you will have to convince Scorpia that you're more than just friends."

I began to blush.

"Scorpia accepted a pair of brothers once," Mrs. Jones said. "The connection between you and Camryn needs to seem strong. The two of you are going to pose as a couple. You've been dating for a year. You met on an assignment in Moscow."

"What if Scorpia looks into our files?" I asked. "I've never been to Moscow."

"We've added the Moscow assignment to both of your files. Camryn, you were on a sniper team. Alex, you were a radio operator. You met at headquarters and the relationship took off almost immediately."

I looked over at Alex. He was blushing more than I was.

"You two leave for Italy in a week," Mrs. Jones continued. "Scorpia is based in Venice. You will be on 'vacation' and just happen to run into Scorpia."

"That means you have a week to get comfortable with each other," Mr. Blunt said.

I was blushing so hard that I swear my head was going to explode.

"How can we make it look like we've been dating for a year in only a week?!" Alex cried.

Mr. Blunt shrugged. "You two have to figure it out. You're dismissed."

I quickly stood up and put my jacket on. Alex slipped on his sweatshirt and followed me out of the bank. He caught up with me and slipped his hand around mine. As our fingers intertwined, I bit my lip nervously.

"Wow, this is awkward," Alex mumbled sheepishly.

"Yeah, definitely," I replied. "We'll have to work a lot since we only have a week."

"Well, if you want to come over, Jack won't be home all day."

"Jack?"

"Oh, she's my guardian."

"Oh, okay."

We took a cab to Alex's house. Alex took off his sweatshirt and hung my jacket in the coat closet. He plopped down on the couch in the living room. I sat down beside him.

"So…" I muttered.

"This couldn't get any more weird."

"I know. I've been doing this work for a year, and I've never run into anything this tough."

"Yeah. I've been in this for a year too," Alex said. "I've never done anything like this though."

"This is crazy."

The two of us didn't say anything for a long time. Alex leaned back and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"I hate when Mr. Blunt tells me I don't have to work for him, but somehow forces me to anyway," Alex said, resentment in his voice. "It's like he manipulates me into everything he wants me to do."

"That's how the government works," I muttered. My CIA superiors treated me the same way. "So, anyway, do you have any hobbies?"

"I bike a lot, read, Internet, that kind of stuff. What about you?"

"I used to play soccer for my school back home," I said.

"I like watching soccer, but I can't play. I can play tennis though."

"I play tennis too. I like to draw and paint. I play guitar. Uh…" Geez, what else did I do?

"Hm…favorite color?" Alex asked.

"Green," I answered. "Yours?"

"Red."

"Favorite band?" I prompted.

"The Beatles!" Alex exclaimed. "And you?"

"AFI and Panic! At The Disco."

"Favorite…class?"

"Biology."

"Eh, I hate all of them."

It was my turn again. "Favorite food?"

"Anything Italian."

"Me too!"

"Favorite author?"

"Darren Shan."

"Same."

"Favorite game?"

Alex laughed. "Nothing beats Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

Alex and I went on for at least an hour, shooting questions and answers and laughing.

"It's been ages since I've laughed this hard," Alex said, catching his breath. "I'm going to like being around you."

"Good, because you'll be stuck with me for a while. But beware, I can drive people crazy."

"I won't mind," Alex smiled, leaning closer to me. Before I knew it, his lips were only inches away from mine.

Nervously, I stood up. "I should go," I said quickly. "I have a lot of homework." Just as I reached the coat closet, Alex caught my hand and pulled me close to him.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" he asked me.

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could say anything, Alex kissed me. His arms slid around my body, holding me tightly against him. I began to push him away, but he held me closer.

"Alex, I really have to go," I protested.

"I think you're making a mistake," Alex argued, then kissed me again.

I realized that I couldn't resist. I let my arms circle around Alex's neck. For those moments that Alex and I kissed, I felt like for the first time in ages that I was truly not alone.

"I think I can stay a little longer," I said, letting our moment continue, missing the feeling of belonging.


	4. Venice

A week had passed since Alex and I received our assignment. We had just gotten off our plane to Rome, and we were on a bus to Venice.

I gazed out the window, taking in the beauty of Rome. The buildings, the statues, the art, the people – everything was beautiful. Growing up in New York City and Washington D.C., I had never witnessed such a breathtaking sight. I sighed, wishing I could stop to take pictures.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Alex murmured into my ear.

"Yeah."

Alex wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed me. Even though I knew he was just acting for the sake of the assignment, his kiss felt nice anyway. Alex pressed his lips to my ear again.

"My friend, Smithers, will be waiting for us in Venice," he whispered.

I nodded.

"Then we're on our own."

"Okay."

Alex leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and drifted off. After a while, I fell asleep too.

* * *

Later that day, Alex and I took a cab to a luxury hotel where a suite was reserved for us. We checked in and headed up to the suite. I unlocked the door and opened it. The main room had a dark leather couch set, a cherry wood coffee table, and a large flatscreen TV. The honey colored walls gave off a warm, homey vibe. Alex and I entered the suite and found that our luggage had already been brought up. I peered into the kitchen. There was an oven, stove, microwave, fridge, and table with two chairs. I went back out to the main room and lay across the leather couch.

"Cam," Alex called, using his preferred, shortened version of my name.

"Yeah?" I sat up.

Alex emerged from the bedroom, a pink flush in his cheeks. "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Uh…there's only one bed."

"You're kidding! Mrs. Jones said that she reserved a suite with two beds."

"What's the big idea? This assignment is tough enough already."

I sighed. Were Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt _trying_ to make this assignment harder? "Well, I can sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure? You can have the bed."

"Nah, it's fine. I want the TV."

"Okay. Well, Smithers should be here soon with our equipment."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Alex went to answer it. A middle-aged and round man with gray hair stood in the doorway in a room attendant uniform.

"Hello, my name is Joe Smith. I will be your room attendant for the duration of your stay," the man said. "Let me give you a quick tour of the suite."

Alex let the man in and closed the door.

"Alex, my boy! How have you been?!" the man exclaimed, embracing my friend.

"Pretty good and yourself?"

"I've been wonderful!" The man spotted me and grinned. "Ah, I assume this beautiful young woman is your girlfriend."

I stood up and shook the man's hand. "No, we're just friends. I'm Camryn Albright."

"They call me Smithers. I trust Alex has mentioned me?"

"Yeah, he has."

"Good. Well, on to the gadgets." I caught a twinkle of joy in Smithers' eye.

"Do I get a gun this time?" Alex asked hopefully.

Smithers threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, my boy, even if we gave you a gun, you'd never pull the trigger!"

Alex frowned. Smithers walked to the coffee table and reached under it. He produced a gun that had been taped to the underside. He took it by the barrel and handed it to me. I held it in my hand, testing the weight of the small, black handgun.

"Why does Cam get a gun?" Alex complained.

"I'm experienced," I answered for Smithers.

Smithers walked over the fridge and pulled out another gun from a hidden compartment.

"This one's for you, Alex," Smithers said waving the gun. "This is for emergencies only. Now follow me." He handed the gun to Alex and led us to the bedroom. He took a wooden jewelry box from the dresser and laid the contents on the bed. He held up a pair of diamond earrings.

"These are explosives. They will activate when you put the backings on. Once you take them apart again, you will have ten seconds before they explode."

Next was a small, delicate opal ring. "Turn the stone twice to send a distress signal to MI6."

I took the ring from Smithers and slipped it onto my hand. There was also an assortment of more rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. "Everything else is just ordinary jewelry."

Smithers opened the walk-in closet and pulled out two light jackets – a pink one and a dark blue one. "These look like ordinary jackets, but they're really flak jackets."

Next was a backpack. "Do you recognize this, Alex?" Smithers asked.

Alex smiled and nodded.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A parachute," Alex and Smithers replied simultaneously.

I raised my eyebrow in slight confusion. What's so great about a parachute?

"This backpack was one of my first gadgets," Alex explained. "Wow, I haven't seen this thing for a year."

Smithers took out a pair of sunglasses. "These are normal sunglasses until you push a button. The button on the left side is for rear view. The button on the right is for infrared."

The buttons were so small that I didn't notice them until Smithers pointed them out. Next, Smithers went to the bathroom. Smithers opened the drawer and pulled out two small, metal bottles. One was metallic pink and the other was silver.

"These bottles contain two liquids. One is perfume or cologne. The other is a chemical that, if inhaled, could knock a person out for at least two hours. For the knockout spray, turn the cap clockwise twice. You'll hear it click. Once you spray it, the cap will turn back by itself so you don't accidentally knock yourself out."

Smithers headed back out to the bedroom. "There's a space under the lamps on the night tables to hide the guns."

Alex and I turned the lamps over and hid the guns.

"Keep me posted on the assignment, and I'll give you more equipment as necessary," Smithers said as he left the suite.

I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. I was tired from such a long day. I was ready for sleep. I went to my suitcase and took out a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt.

"I'm going to sleep; I'm tired," I told Alex. I went into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. I went into the closet and fished out a spare blanket. I took a pillow off the bed and headed out to my couch. I sprawled myself across the cool leather, waiting for sleep to come. Although I was extremely tired, I couldn't fall asleep. I gazed at the darkness, trying to drift off. About an hour passed, and I was still awake.

"Cam?" Alex's voice called. "Are you asleep?"

I remained silent. Then a very dim light came on. I closed my eyes.

"I guess so," Alex sighed, answering his own question.

I heard soft footsteps, then they stopped. Warm fingers touched my cheek and played with my medium length, chestnut brown hair. I fought the urge to open my eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Cam," Alex said softly. "I wish I had the guts to tell you when you're awake."

But I was awake! I was only faking sleep, but I guess I did a good job of it. I remained silent and still. Alex continued to speak.

"I've liked you ever since I met you when school started. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to tell you when you can actually hear me. I've never really been good at talking about my feelings." Alex sighed again. "Good night, Cam."

Without warning, I felt Alex press his lips to mine. Then I heard his footsteps again and the bedroom door close. I finally opened my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I had no idea Alex felt that way about me. I didn't know what to make of it. After a long time of thinking, I finally fell asleep.


	5. Julia Rothman

I woke up the next morning and found Alex sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee.

"I didn't know you drank coffee," I commented, getting myself a mug of coffee, then setting it down to cool off.

"I need caffeine and there's no soda around," Alex explained.

I leaned lazily against the counter. Alex stood up and placed his empty mug in the sink. I could sense him eyeing me. Then I remembered what he had said last night. I looked over at him, and his gaze immediately broke.

"Any plans for today?" I asked.

"Not really," Alex answered. "We're supposed to be on 'vacation,' so I was thinking that we could just roam around the city."

"That sounds great."

We fell awkwardly silent. I caught Alex's gaze again, but this time, he didn't look away. I felt trapped in his gorgeous, serious, brown eyes.

"Alex…"

"Yeah…" Alex replied as if he were in a trance.

I stepped closer to him. I lifted my face and kissed him. After a couple kisses, Alex spoke.

"Cam, you don't have to-"

"Practice makes perfect." I kissed him. Agreeing, Alex continued kissing me. Our intensity grew with each kiss. After a long while, we finally let go of each other. We went to change and prepare to leave. I put on black capris, a gray tank top, and silver heels. Alex came out of the bathroom in jeans, a red T-shirt, and sneakers. Before we left the suite, Alex pulled me in for another kiss. A sweet, musky aroma filled my senses.

"Alex, are you wearing cologne?" I asked.

"I am."

I smiled. "I like it."

Alex kissed me again, and we made out for I don't know how long before we finally left the suite. Our first stop was a pizza shop where we bough lunch. Alex and I were walking around the town square when we saw two men speeding by on a motorcycle. The cyclists did a one-eighty, coming back toward Alex and me. I made nothing of it until the driver headed straight for us. Then he swerved at the last second. The passenger snatched my purse from my hand. For two seconds, I couldn't do anything, shocked and dumbfounded. Then instinctively, I looked for something to throw. I picked up a handful of rocks. I whipped one at the driver, hitting him the back of the head. Surprised, the driver lost control and crashed the bike into a bench by the side of the street. I jogged to the cyclists and picked up my purse. I dropped the rest of the stones on them and walked away.

"Nice throw," Alex complimented.

"Thanks. So anyway, how are we going to find Scorpia?"

Alex shrugged. "I really don't know. I don't even know where to begin."

"There's a woman by the name of Julia Rothman. She's supposed to be associated with the highest-ranking members of Scorpia, and she lives here in Venice." I paused for a moment. "I have no idea where to how to find her."

"Well, what do you know about her?"

"I have an entire file on her back at the suite. She's really rich and shows it off. She inherited the money from her late husband. She lives in a huge castle-like mansion."

"Well, there's a start. We can look for mansions."

"But where?"

"Huh…good question."

Alex and I spent the rest of the day roaming around Venice and talking about Mrs. Rothman and Scorpia. We finally came back to the suite a little after 8:30 in the evening. I plopped down in the couch and switched on the TV to the local news channel. A young woman with a microphone stood in front of an elaborate mansion. She spoke excitedly in Italian. The news anchor turned slightly, gesturing to the mansion.

"You can understand that?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I can speak Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Gaelic, and Russian."

"I can speak French, Spanish, German, and a little Italian."

Then something the news anchor said caught my attention. I sat on the edge of my seat, listening intently, my eyes glued to the television. Once I'd heard enough, I switched off the TV and started for the door.

"Cam, where are you going?" Alex asked.

"I know where to find Rothman's mansion."

"So are you just going to prance on in there and demand to speak to Mrs. Rothman?"

"Good point. We'll sneak in, then."

"How?"

"I'll have to look at the place, so I'll tell you when we get there." I went into the bedroom and into the closet to find a change of clothes. I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black long sleeve T-shirt. I stepped back out into the bedroom to find my sneakers. Alex came out of the bathroom in black jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. I found my sneakers and jammed them on. I took Smithers' exploding earrings from the jewelry box and put them in. I took the perfume and cologne bottles from the bathroom. I tucked the perfume bottle into my pocket and tossed the cologne to Alex.

"Let's go."

"Where exactly are we going?" Alex asked.

"The news anchor said that Rothman is celebrating her birthday at her mansion by the river," I said as we left the suite. We took an elevator down the first floor. Then we took a bus to the river and began searching for Rothman's mansion. We came up on a ginormous stone mansion with four tall towers stretching toward the heavens. Decorative lights and ornaments were dangling everywhere. Everyone in the yard was in formal dress. Security guards were on duty everywhere.

"How are we getting in?" Alex asked. "There's so much security. And we definitely didn't dress for the occasion."

I looked around. What could I use for cover? There was a photographer sitting behind a bush, snapping pictures. Ding, ding! Idea! I snuck up behind the man and took out the perfume bottle, turning the nozzle twice. It clicked loudly, and the man turned around. I grabbed the camera and sprayed the knockout chemical into his face. The second he inhaled, he collapsed to the ground. Alex helped me hide the sleeping man under the bush.

"Okay, we're on a photography internship for the local newspaper," I explained. "Come up with some Italian name."

With the camera in my hands, I walked up the guard standing by the main gate and holding a clipboard.

"Hi, I'm Valerie Rivetti," I said in fluent Italian. "I'm doing a photography internship for the local paper."

"I'm Nicolas Gambino," Alex said in the little Italian he knew. "I'm with Valerie."

The guard gruffly muttered his approval and opened the gate to let Alex and me in. As we made our way to the mansion, we passed by groups of people standing outside chatting with champagne glasses in hand. I snapped a few pictures of the mansion and the grounds so it looked like I was really doing what I said I was. Then I entered the mansion with Alex following behind. The stone foyer was lit by a grand, crystal chandelier. There were groups of people roaming around, chatting and laughing (and of course, drinking – champagne, liquor, beer, and/or whatever those crazy, rich people drink). In the living room, Julia Rothman sat on a large, luxurious suede couch. She wore an elegant, black silk dress. Her wavy, dark hair framed her pale but pretty face. Photographers were snapping pictures left and right. I handed the camera to Alex, and he joined the mass of photographers and flashing cameras. Rothman's gaze fell on Alex, and my heart skipped a beat. There was something in her eyes that gave me chills up and down my spine. I made my way over to Alex. Rothman's eyes fell on me, and I froze. She stood up and walked towards me. My heart pounded.

"You don't look familiar," she said raising a carefully plucked and penciled eyebrow. Her Italian carried a slight accent.

"I'm an intern for the local paper," I said in rapid, nervous Italian.

Rothman smiled and held out her hand. I shakily grasped her hand.

"I'm Julia Rothman."

"Valerie Rivetti."

"Why don't you come up to my office? I can give you an exclusive interview."

"That'd be great! Can I bring Nicolas with me?"

"Nicolas?"

I gestured to Alex. "He's my partner."

"That'll be fine."

Alex and I followed Rothman up the winding staircase to her office. To the right of the door were a fireplace and a large couch. By the window was a large oak desk with a large office chair behind it. In front of the desk were two chairs.

"So, what are you two doing here?" Rothman asked in perfect English.

I was taken by surprise. "What?"

Rothman pulled a sleek, silver handgun from a leg holster under the skirt of her elegant black dress. She cocked it and pointed it at my heart. My blood ran cold. Do I tell her the truth? Do I lie? Which option would save my life?


	6. Chemistry

Alex quickly moved defensively in front of me. "Don't hurt her."

Suddenly, Rothman had that chilling look in her eyes again. Then her expression went blank. She slowly lowered the gun. "I cannot hold a gun to the son of John Rider."

"How do you know he's my father?"

"Why, you look just like that handsome devil."

"How do you know him?"

"He had worked for Scorpia many years ago. He was our best assassin. I'd grown fond of him, but then he tragically died."

"In a plane crash."

"Is that you were told?"

"It's a lie, isn't it?" Alex asked, sounding shocked and hurt at the same time.

"So, I still don't know why you two are here," Rothman said, changing the subject.

I spoke up. "We're looking to join Scorpia."

Rothman laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, we're not," Alex said.

Rothman stared at us for a while. "Why?"

"Revenge," Alex and I said simultaneously. Alex continued, "Both of us are government agents. We've been manipulated and used by our governments. We're forced to do things we don't want to do."

"What _do_ you want to do?"

"I want to follow in my father's footsteps."

Rothman smiled at Alex. "I would be honored to have John Rider's son working for Scorpia." Then her smile faded, and she tightened her grip on the gun. "I don't know about the girl though."

"Either you take us both, or you don't have either of us."

"You're in no position to make demands."

"Mrs. Rothman, both my parents are dead. My uncle is dead. She's all I have left. I'm not going to let anything or anyone take Cam from me."

"Cam?"

Alex tensed up, realizing his slip of tongue.

"What are your real names?"

Alex and I were silent. Rothman raised her gun again, threatening to fire.

"Camryn Albright," I blurted out.

"Alex Rider," Alex said reluctantly.

"Camryn Albright…The CIA's star sniper – am I correct?"

I nodded.

"Alex Rider…MI6 Special Operations."

Alex nodded.

"I'll think about it. See me tomorrow morning at 10:30 sharp. Now leave."

Alex and I hurried out of Rothman's office and made our way out of the mansion. Alex laid the camera by the sleeping photographer, and we began walking back to the suite.

"What do you think of Mrs. Rothman?" Alex asked me.

I shrugged. "She kind of scares me."

"I was scared when she pointed the gun at you."

"That was a really stupid move you made back there, Alex," I chided. "She could have killed you."

"I know, but I was only thinking of protecting you."

"Yeah, by getting yourself killed," I retorted harshly.

"Look, Cam, I'm not dead. Mrs. Rothman didn't kill me. Shouldn't you be grateful that I was worried enough to put my life on the line to protect you?"

"I'm sorry, but I know that if I lose you, I'd be so lost. I'd be a terrible wreck."

"Cam-"

"You're one of my closest friends. I can't bear to lose you."

Alex took my hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. We walked the rest of the way back to the suite in silence. Once we arrived at the suite, I put the perfume bottle back into the cabinet. I came out of the bathroom and made my way across the bedroom. I wasn't going to bother changing my clothes. I was too tired. Alex intercepted me as I reached the door. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"Alex, you don't have to fake this when we're alone," I told him.

"I'm not faking, Cam. I never was."

I gaped at him in shock. I'd totally forgotten about what he had said the night before.

"I understand if you only think of me as a friend. I just have to let you know how I feel."

"I do know," I said quietly.

"How?" It was Alex's turn to be in shock.

"You spoke to me last night. I really wasn't asleep."

Alex sighed with a hint of relief. "Well, that saves me the explanation, then." Then he hugged me. "I really care about you, Cam."

"I care about you, too – but just as a friend."

"Thank you." Alex kissed my cheek and released me.

I went to the living room and lay down on the couch. I pulled the blanket over my shoulder and fell asleep.


	7. Bad Omen

The next morning, Alex gently shook me awake. "Cam, wake up."

I struggled against him a little until I was fully awake. I was breathing hard and sweating. I could smell blood in the air. My arms and legs were aching. My muscles were stiff. I sat up and examined myself. I had blood under my fingernails. I had scrapes and scratches all over me. The scratches on my arms bled.

"What happened to me?" I asked, shocked, scared, and confused.

"I think you were having a night terror. You were thrashing around and screaming."

I couldn't remember what I was dreaming about. The last thing I remembered was my conversation with Alex before I went to sleep. I'd never had night terrors before. What was happening to me? Sensing my fear, Alex put his arms around my shoulders.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"A bit after five."

I leaned my head on Alex's shoulder. I was cold and shivering, but Alex's embrace made me feel a bit warmer. For the time that Alex held me, I felt like everything was okay again. Then he released me, and I was harshly plunged back into reality.

"Why don't you go take a shower," Alex suggested. "It'll make you feel better."

I agreed and went to the bathroom with a change of clothes. My wounds stung as I stood under the hot water. Once I finished showering, I dried off and bandaged the wounds on my arms. I put on a pair of faded jeans and a lavender camisole. I walked out of the bathroom to find Alex sitting the edge of the bed. I held up my shirt I wore last night and examined it. I had managed to tear through the sleeves with my fingernails. The night terror had to have been exceptionally horrid. Alex stared wide-eyed in disbelief at my torn shirt. I wadded it up and threw it in the trashcan. I sat down next to Alex on the bed.

"Alex, what's happening to me?"

"I don't know, Cam."

I sighed. "I don't know if I'm up to seeing Rothman today. There's something not right about her."

"We don't have to go."

"Yes we do. This may be our only chance to get into Scorpia."

A couple hours later, Alex and I headed out to Rothman's mansion. I had put on a gray long sleeve shirt to hide my wounded arms. Once we reached the mansion, a butler escorted us inside and up to Rothman's office where she was waiting for us.

"Take a seat," Rothman said.

Alex and I obeyed.

"As the leader of this organization, I have decided to let both of you take the test to become official members of Scorpia. Next week, a boat will take you to the island of Malagosto. You and six other recruits will compete to join Scorpia."

"What is the test exactly?" Alex asked.

Rothman grinned. "I'm so glad you asked. You will have to kill all the other competitors." Then seeing the worried look on Alex's face, Rothman asked, "You want to enter as a team, don't you?"

Alex nodded. He reached over and held my hand.

"If you survive a preliminary test, I'll let you enter as a team."

"What preliminary test?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon. You may go. I'll meet you in a week at the same time."

With that, Alex and I left.

"That was short," Alex muttered as we walked back to the suite.

Suddenly, I had the strange feeling that Alex and I were being watched and followed. The second I was about to warn Alex, my world went dark. I tried to scream but couldn't. A strong pair of arms hauled me off my feet. I tried to fight, but it was useless. I could hear Alex struggling hopelessly. I felt myself being carried, and then, I was roughly thrown down on something hard. I heard Alex land beside me. I heard metal doors close. A car engine roared to life. We were probably in the back of a van. All I could think was, _Holy crap, I'm being kidnapped!_ My captors bound my wrists and ankles. I was helpless. All I could do was lie there, bound up like the prisoner I was, and wait for something to happen. No one spoke. The only sound I heard was the vehicle's engine. After what seemed like ages, the vehicle stopped. I was picked up again. The next think I knew, I was sitting on what felt like rock. The sack over my head was removed, and the Venetian morning sunlight filled my vision. It took me a while to realize that I was sitting on the edge of a cliff. I looked down and a shrill scream of terror escaped my throat. Alex sat beside me, just as terrified. There were four men in black masks standing around us. Two of them hauled Alex to his feet and began swinging him over the edge.

"Stop! Don't do it!" I screamed. I struggled to my bound feet. I clumsily lunged at one of the men holding Alex. He sidestepped me, and I landed hard on the rocks. The other two men picked me up and pushed me to the edge of the cliff. One captor forced my head down, so I could see the horrible death I'd be falling to. Waves violently crashed against the side of the cliff. Sharp rocks jutted out of the angry water. I saw my death. I would be impaled on the rocks, then my dead body would be thrown against the cliffs by waves until there was nothing left of me. I began to cry. I didn't want to die like this.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex being swung to his cruel death. Then his captors released him. Alex screamed as he fell to a watery hell.

"Alex!!" I screamed after him. SPLASH. He was gone. I cried uncontrollably. Next, I was thrown to my horrible death. I plunged headfirst down to the sharp rocks and crashing waves. My heart pounded like mad. Adrenaline rushed fiercely through my veins. Suddenly, determination overcame my fear. I couldn't die like this. I used all the strength I had to turn myself right side up. At the last second, my feet landed in the water first. I was plunged into the cold, ruthless sea. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through my back. I had scraped my back on a rock. I thrashed around, desperate to get to the surface. As I did so, I found that my wrists had been cut free when I hit the rock. I began using my arms to swim. All was dark, and I didn't know where I was going. Was I going up? To the front? To the bottom? I couldn't tell. I was desperate so I just swam blindly. Then I thought that since I fell from such a great height, I had to be pretty deep down. I pulled at the water, trying to swim. I had an uneasy feeling in my lungs. Then the uneasiness soon turned into pain. My arms ached. My lungs were on fire. I was still surrounded by darkness. I wasn't going to make it. I was going to drown. But I kept swimming anyway. Just as my lungs were about to explode, my head broke surface. I gulped in air, letting it rush into my aching lungs. I grabbed onto a rock and held on for life. I pulled my legs up and untied the rope around my ankles. Then slowly, I moved from rock to rock, trying to find a way up. I found a section of the cliff that was about thirty to forty feet high. It looked like a good rock to climb with plenty of handholds. I grabbed the rock and began to scale the side of the cliff. I was tired. My muscles were screaming bloody murder. I made it this far. I couldn't give up. After a grueling climb with a few slips, I finally heaved myself over the edge of the cliff. I rolled onto my back, taking in gulps of air. I stared up at the clear blue sky. There was nothing more beautiful. Once my muscles had rested enough, I stood up. I made my way over the spot I had fallen from. Once in a while, I'd peer over the edge, searching for a sign of Alex.

Suddenly, there was a metallic scrape beneath my foot. When I looked down, I found my cell phone under my shoe. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I fell. I picked it up and flipped it open. It still worked. I dialed Alex's cell phone number and waited. There was no ringing. The call couldn't connect. Alex's phone had to be down in the depths of the sea. Was Alex down there too? I frantically punched in the number of the suite. The phone rang for a few minutes. No answer. I sank to my knees in horror and disbelief. Alex was gone. I kneeled there on that cliff crying. I cried for hours. It was late in the afternoon by the time I finally collected myself. My hair was dry, but my clothes were still a bit damp. I stood up and started walking back to the suite. I knew what I had to do – pack up my things and go back to MI6.

As I reached the suite, I heard a voice that I swear came from my suite. But that couldn't be. I put my hand on the doorknob. Then I heard a voice inside. I was right! I pressed my ear to the door.

"Smithers, I need a new phone."

There was no sound sweeter than Alex Rider's voice.


	8. Shot Down

A week later, Alex and I were sitting on a yacht, sailing across the sea that nearly took our lives. Rothman was sitting on the deck with a glass of wine. She wore a white sundress that blazed in the bright early afternoon sun. I stood leaning against the railing, watching Malagosto come into view. From where we were, it seemed like the perfect island getaway for a vacation, but I knew otherwise. I couldn't even begin to imagine all the people who must have died in this place. It was a cruel place. Then again, Scorpia was cruel (Scorpia stood for Sabotage, Corruption, Intelligence, and Assassination). I watched the island for another half hour before we reached it. Rothman was the first off the boat. Alex and I reluctantly followed.

"I don't know if I can do this," Alex whispered to me.

I circled my arms around his chest and kissed him. "We'll be fine. Don't worry."

"The two of you are involved?" Rothman asked us.

Alex smiled and pulled me closer to him. "Yeah, we've been together for about a year."

Rothman nodded. "Well, come on. I want you to meet your competition."

The first place we went was the martial arts facility. A group of people had just finished their daily training. Rothman introduced us to a tall, African man who was the martial arts teacher.

"My name is Nile. If you make it into Scorpia, I'll be teaching you martial arts."

"Where is Rei?" Rothman asked. "I want to see how well these two do in hand-to-hand combat."

"I'm right here, ma'am."

Alex and I turned around. A young man in his early twenties approached us. His hair was bleached an impossibly bright blonde. His eyes wore unnaturally green contacts.

"This is Rei," Nile continued. "He's the top student here at the martial arts academy."

Rothman said something quietly to Rei. I couldn't here what it was. Without warning, Rei launched at me. I stepped aside and swooped down in a full sweep. Rei crashed down onto the hardwood floor. I half-smiled. He was fast, but I was faster. He stood up and went at me again. He punched at me left and right, catching nothing but air with each attempt. Then he tried an assortment of various kicks. Some of his moves caught me by surprise, but I still blocked them all effortlessly. I was disappointed. Rei _couldn't_ be the best martial student here. I caught his ankle and swung him to the floor. He jumped up, grabbing a handful of my T-shirt. I grabbed his hand and squeezed the pressure point. He released me, his fingers writhing in pain. I flicked him in the middle of the forehead. He stumbled backward dumbfounded. I seized the opportunity and lunged forward. I struck the side of his neck with an open-hand. Rei slumped to the floor unconscious.

Nile let out an impressed whistle. "So much for my best student. I guess he's not so great after all."

"Well, there's one of your competitors," Rothman said. "If you'll excuse us, Nile."

She led us to another large building. Inside, I heard the familiar sound of firing guns.

"This is our marksmanship facility." Rothman gestured to three people at the far end of the practice room. "They're competing against you. The brunettes are Tom and Andres. They're twins. The African girl is Sheila."

Rothman led us toward the three competitors. They shot at cardboard human targets with various guns and rifles. Their marksmanship was great, but not perfect. Their shots came close to the vital points, but never hit the points dead on. Rothman picked up a handgun and handed it to Alex.

"Let's see how well you shoot."

Alex unlocked the gun and raised it toward a target. He shot five rounds and lowered the gun. Rothman pulled a lever that pulled the target toward us to examine. There was one hole in the middle of the forehead of the cardboard figure.

"Looks like you had one lucky shot," Rothman frowned.

"No," I said, pointing to the bullet hole. "This is bigger than a hole made by just one bullet. All five shots passed through this same hole."

Alex smiled, satisfied and proud of himself. Rothman gaped at him in disbelief.

"Well," Rothman said, trying to recollect herself, "I'll show you to your rooms. The test will begin tomorrow."

"So soon?" I asked. "Don't we get some training time like the others?"

"You really don't need it," Rothman said, turning to leave.

Alex and I followed her out.

"What about the other competitors?" Alex asked.

"I don't know where they are," Rothman replied stiffly.

Alex and I followed her to the dorms in silence. Our rooms were next to each other on the second floor. Our baggage had already been taken to our rooms for us. Rothman left us once we were settled. I stepped into Alex's room and closed the door.

"What got into Mrs. Rothman?" Alex asked me.

I shrugged. "Beats me."

"At first, she seemed like she wanted me here. Now, I guess she doesn't."

I sighed, putting my arms around Alex and leaning on him. I needed that sense of security I felt whenever I was near him. I buried my face in his shoulder.

"The past few weeks have been so crazy," Alex said softly, holding me tightly as if he'd never let me go. "Cam…"

Something in the way he said my name made my heart flutter. I lifted my face to look at him. He gazed down at me with his deep brown eyes. He brushed a strand of hair off my face. Then he kissed me. Suddenly, I had this feeling that I never felt before. Was I –? No…I couldn't be. I pushed myself away from Alex.

"Cam, wait," Alex murmured, pulling be back against his chest. "Don't go – not yet." He kissed me again, and again, and again.

"Alex, stop," I pleaded softly.

He only held me tighter. "Stay with me, Cam."

Why was I having this random, unexplainable feeling? Alex was my friend – nothing more, nothing less. Or at least I thought he was…no, I was sure. We were just friends.

"I can't do this anymore, Alex," I finally said.

"Why not?"

"I know how you feel about me, and I can't keep leading you on like this. To me, you're just a friend."

Alex fixed his sad, brown eyes on me. He slowly slid his hands off my body.

"I wish I meant more to you," Alex said quietly, sounding heartbroken.


	9. Internal Battle

"I'm sorry," I muttered pathetically. What else could I say to him? I turned and left the room. I left the dorms and began wandering the grounds. There was a walkway that circled the dorms. I stepped onto the path and began following it. I fell deep into thought. I thought about the upcoming test. Would both Alex and I come out alive? Was Rothman devising a plan to get Alex and me killed? And whatever happened to that preliminary test? My mind wandered back to the day last week when Alex and I were snatched off the street and nearly killed. I wondered how Alex had survived. I never bothered to ask because I was just glad that he was alive. Suddenly, a thought hit me – everything I thought about somehow related to Alex. I shook my head. I was being stupid. Alex was involved with everything that had happened. That's how he was related to my thoughts. There was nothing between us. We were just friends.

Then I remembered the hurt look on Alex's face when I told him that he's just a friend to me. I thought he would understand. I sighed. I guess I shouldn't have said that to him. He must be so upset. I realized my mistake too late. I thought that if I kept leading him on, eventually, he'd have to deal with the fact that I don't love him. It would hurt him so much. In trying to protect Alex from that pain, I broke his heart. Thinking about it made me sad. I didn't want his heart to be broken, especially when I was the one who broke it. All of a sudden, I felt terrible.

My cell phone rang and interrupted my thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Camryn, it's Smithers. Do you have a moment?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"First of all, how's the mission going?"

"It's going well so far."

"Good, good. How's the 'relationship' with Alex?"

"It's great," I lied.

"Hm…that's not what Alex tells me."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Camryn, Alex told me about his feelings for you, but you only see him as a friend. He's upset that you aren't returning his feelings. This could jeopardize the assignment. You really need to get your act together, literally."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to lie to Alex and tell him that I do love him?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do."

"I can't. I can't do that to him."

"You have to if you are to succeed. A broken heart is distracting. Do you want Alex to be distracted from the assignment?"

"No, but-"

"It's too late to pull either of you from the mission. You'd better find a way to fix the situation with Alex."

Smithers hung up. I snapped my phone shut and shoved it back into my pocket. The path I was walking on split. I stopped walking and stared at the fork before me. What should I do? Should I leave the situation as is and let it play out? Should I lie to Alex so he wouldn't hurt? Either way, Alex would get hurt sooner or later. Do I let him hurt now, or do I hurt him later? Between the left and right forks, I chose the latter.

After completing a full circle around the dorms, I went back up to my room. I found a note on the bed. It was from Rothman. It read: "There is a formal dinner tonight in the dining hall on the first floor. Please dress appropriately."

I sighed. I hated dressing up. I opened my suitcase and began taking clothes out and putting them in the dresser and closet. I had jeans, T-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and so on. I wondered if I brought a dress with me. I didn't think I needed one. Finally, at the bottom of my suitcase, I found a dress and a pair of heels. I wonder why I put that in there…Then my phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cam," Alex said. "Do you know about the formal dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, I just got a note about that."

"Do you have anything to wear?"

"Yeah, do you?"

"No. I didn't think I needed a tuxedo, so I left mine at the suite. Mrs. Rothman said that she'd get one fitted for me though."

"That's good."

"Well, uh…I'll see you later."

"Bye."

I hung up and tossed my phone onto the bed. It was about two in the afternoon, so I had three and a half hours to kill before I had to get ready for dinner. I began setting up a security system in the room. Once I finished, I took out my MP3 player and lost myself to the beat of the music.

* * *

It was almost six o' clock. I had just finished showering, drying my hair, and putting on my dress. I drew thin black lines around my eyelids with an eyeliner pencil. I slipped on the heels and rooted through my suitcase for my purse. I took out the opal ring out of the purse and slipped it onto my finger. The ring had been slightly modified. Turning the stone clockwise would send a distress signal to MI6. Turning it counter clockwise would turn the stone into a transmitter to record everything I heard. I put my hair up with bobby pins and looked at myself in the mirror. The black dress came down to the middle of my thighs. God, I didn't know it was this short! Why didn't I buy a longer dress? Finally, I headed out the door. I knocked on Alex's door, wondering if he had left yet. He opened the door.

"Hey, Cam – whoa…" Alex looked me up and down. "Wow, you look… …amazing."

I felt the blush creeping into my face and bit my lip. "Uh, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I was just on my way out," he said. His hair was a mess and his collar was askew.

I had to smile. "Are you sure about that?" I fixed Alex's collar and combed my fingers through his hair. I stepped back to look at him. Jesus Christ, he looked good in a tux! I kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go."

Hand-in-hand, Alex and I walked to the dining hall. The place was crowded with people. A waiter led us to our seats. Rothman stood at the front of the room with a microphone.

"If I can have your attention," she said. The dining hall quieted. "This banquet is dedicated to the new recruits taking the test tomorrow. I wish you all of you good luck. I hope you enjoy your evening."

We ordered our meals and drinks. Most people chatted with each other. Alex and I didn't know anyone. I nervously picked at the silver sequins on my dress and chewed my lip. I was still thinking about what Smithers told me. Did I make the right decision?

"Alex, can I talk to you for a minute?" I blurted out.

"Sure."

We stood up and made our way out of the dining hall. We turned down the corridor toward the lobby.

"I was thinking about a lot of things earlier, and I thought about us."

"Yeah?" There was a hint of hope in Alex's voice.

"What I said earlier, about us being just friends…that's not true. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. You really are more to me than just a friend."

Alex stopped walking and put his hands on my shoulders. It took all my courage to look him in the eye. Those beautiful eyes pierced my heart. Could he see through my deception?

"What kept you from telling me how you really feel about me?" Alex asked me.

"I've never felt this way about anyone, and I was scared," I lied. "I really like you, Alex."

Alex smiled at me. "I know. I was waiting for you to realize your feelings."

Whoa! Wait a minute! Did Alex see something that I didn't? Did he know something that I didn't? What's going on? I must be missing something. I was lost in my sudden confusion that it took me a few seconds to realize that Alex was kissing me again. Dang, why does this boy kiss me so much?! He does it every chance he gets! I mean, doesn't he ever get enough?! Despite my thoughts, I tilted my head and returned his kiss.


	10. Twin Trouble

"Why are they still alive?" a voice hissed a male voice from down the corridor. "I thought you said you got rid of them."

"I thought they were dead!" another male voice hissed back. "It was impossible to survive."

The voices grew louder. Alex grabbed me and pulled me behind the lobby desk. We silently listened to the two men continue their conversation. I turned the opal stone on my ring counter-clockwise.

"They're not ordinary kids," said the first voice. He sounded angry.

"You didn't tell me that before the job," the other said. Pathetic was the word for him.

"Oh, shut up. If you had slit their throats like I told you to, then we wouldn't be having this problem," Angry said.

"But I couldn't do that, not to kids. It's so cruel," Pathetic whined.

"You're weak and pathetic, Andres."

Andres? That name rang a bell. Where have I heard that name before?

"But, Tom, they're just _kids_."

"_Kids?!_ Those _kids_ will kill us tomorrow!"

Tom and Andres…the twins! But who were they talking about?

"Relax, Tom," Andres said. "We can take a couple of brats. No big deal."

"You moron! They're special agents. That girl is a sniper, and her marksmanship is almost legendary. Those 'brats' were trained by the CIA and MI6. We don't stand a chance."

They were talking about Alex and me.

"If you wanted them dead, why didn't you do the job yourself?" Andres asked, starting to get angry.

There was silence.

"Okay, if we want to stand a chance tomorrow, we have to get rid of those kids tonight. If we don't, we're definitely dead."

Footsteps faded down the corridor. Alex peered around the desk. He stood up and helped me stand up.

"We should go back to the banquet," he said. "We'll have to be careful tonight."

We came back to the dining hall just as the food was being served. We sat down at our places and began eating. I looked around, trying to find the twins, but I didn't see them anywhere. I couldn't find Rothman either. A little while later, I poked at my half-eaten food on my plate with my fork. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore.

"Alex, I'm going back to my room. I'll meet you upstairs later," I said quietly.

"Alright. Be careful, okay?"

I nodded and left the dining hall. I made my way quickly to my room. I shut the door and locked it. Okay, what to do now, what to do? I had already set up security in my room, so I was safe. I had to keep an eye on Alex. I grabbed my laptop from my backpack and booted it up. While I waited, I changed into navy sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Then I started up a hacking program that I developed. While that loaded, I changed into socks and sneakers. I sat on the bed with the laptop on my lap. I tapped into Scorpia's mainframe computer, and I was prompted for a password. I typed it in and opened the video feeds from Malagosto. I put all the feeds of the dorm on my screen. Rothman was in her office. Alex was still in the dining hall. Where were Tom and Andres, thought? I opened video feeds of the dorm grounds. Ah ha! Found them! The two were wearing climbing gear and slowly walking down the wall of the dorm building. They stopped at a window and drew their guns from their hip holsters. Inside the window was a figure sitting on the bed. Her back was to the window. She was hunched over like she was working on something. I scratched my head with my left hand, confused because the figure kind of looked like me from the back. The girl moved her left hand and scratched her head at the same time. My heart stopped. I spun around and there they were – Tom and Andres staring at me through the window, guns poised. The second they fired, I rolled off the bed onto the floor, grabbing my cell phone and shoving it into my pocket as I landed. I hit the snooze button on the laptop and shoved it under the bed. I grabbed two guns, which I had taped to the underside. I reached up and fired three shots at the window, doing nothing more than breaking more glass. I used the distraction to unlock the door and escaped into the hallway. I slipped the locked gun into the waistband of my sweatpants and began running toward the stairs. I dashed down the stairs and into the lobby. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and sent Alex a text message. He messaged me back that he was on his way out of the dining hall. I went toward the dining hall and hid behind one of the large, decorative pillars by the entrance. The second I saw Alex, I grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

"Cam, what's going on?"

"The twins – they're after us. They tried to shoot me through the window of my room."

"Just now?"

"Yeah." I took the other gun from my waistband and handed it to Alex.

"So what do we do?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Footsteps approached us from the lobby. Hushed voices reached our ears. Alex and I silently slipped into the next hallway.

"Have you seen the twins anywhere?" Rothman's voice asked.

"No, I haven't," replied Nile's voice. "I don't think they came to dinner. I haven't seen them since this morning."

Rothman swore. "Where are Alex and Camryn?"

"I haven't seen them either. Camryn left dinner early, and as far as I know, Alex is still in the dining hall."

Rothman swore again. "Nile, I want you to check out the dorm grounds. I want the twins in my office – alive if possible. If they resist, kill them."

"But what about the test tomorrow?"

"I don't want any harm to come to Camryn and Alex. If you see those two, take them to the bunker."

Why did Rothman want Alex and me alive and safe? Could we trust her? Alex made his own decision and quietly turned the corner toward Rothman.

"Alex, where are you going?" I whispered.

Alex signaled for me to stay where I was. I peered around the corner and watched as Alex approached Rothman. They spoke in hushed tones, so I couldn't hear. The only thing I heard was _click_. And then…

"Drop the gun. Move slowly."

I didn't move. One of the twins had found me. What do I do now? I slowly squatted down and placed my gun on the floor. Then I quickly spun in a half sweep. Tom or Andres, whoever it was, fell backward. I picked up my gun and ran toward Alex.

"Alex, we have to go!"

"Wait," Rothman ordered, pulling a gun and pointing it at my head. Oh, God, not again. As her finger squeezed the trigger, I shut my eyes. I let out a helpless yelp when I heard the gun fire. I waited, but nothing happened to me. I finally opened my eyes again. Rothman had lowered the gun, and she and Alex were hurrying towards me.

"I'm sorry I had to scare you like that," Rothman apologized. "I couldn't let Andres kill you."

I turned around. One of the twins, Andres, lay dead on the floor. His sightless eyes stared up in surprise. I shuddered and looked away.

"Mrs. Rothman said that we have to go to the bunker for a while," Alex told me, putting his arm around me and leading me toward the lobby.

"Camryn, can you drive?"

"Yes, but not legally."

"Good. There's a black car just outside. The key is in the ignition. Alex will tell you where to go. Hurry and be careful. I'll see you out to the car, then you're on your own."

The three of us ran out to the lobby and out the front doors. Indeed, there was a car parked just outside. I jumped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. Alex climbed into the passenger side. I stepped on the gas and sped away from the dorm. Alex directed me where to go until we reached the boat dock.

"Why are we here? Are you sure you have the right directions?" I asked.

"This is where Mrs. Rothman told me to go."

Hesitantly, I turned off the engine, and we got out of the car. The sun was just beginning to set. I looked around for the entrance to the underground bunker. There was nothing but the dock, two motorboats, the beach, and the dirt road.

"Alex…" I was starting to worry.

"I don't see it, Cam," Alex told me. "Mrs. Rothman said that I'd see it by the dock. She said it would be easy to find."

A bullet whizzed passed my ear and landed in the sand. I jumped and shrieked. Alex grabbed my hand and started running to the dock. More bullets came dangerously close to hitting us. We jumped onto one of the motorboats and untied it. I started the engine and the boat began heading into the open water. The bullets continued to fall into the water around us. Finally, one shot found its target. An excruciating pain shot through my left shoulder. I couldn't hold back a holler of pain. The boat, at last, reached full speed and left the island far behind. Once we were at a safe distance, Alex stopped the engine and took of his jacket and shirt. He tore his shirt into strips and bandaged my wounded shoulder. I bit my lip to avoid screaming in pain again. The pain blurred my vision and made me dizzy. Then it began to fade as I went into shock. My vision went back to normal again. I'm glad it did because…HOLY CRAP!! Alex looked SO FREAKING HOTshirtless! If you had seen this (girls), you'd be drooling like mad! Okay, so when I got over the distraction, I propped myself up against the side of the boat. Alex put his jacket back on.

"Are you okay, Cam?"

"I don't know. I think I'm in shock. I can't feel it," I replied shakily. I was scared. The worst injury I've ever had in my life was a minor concussion. Is this wound going to get infected? Am I ever going to be able to use my left arm again?

"Send a distress signal to MI6," Alex told me.

"Why?"

"Just do it." He was extremely edgy all of a sudden.

I turned the opal clockwise. Okay, so I guess we just wait for MI6 to save us from the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Alex's cell phone rang.

"This is Rider," he answered. There was a pause. "Yeah, it is…Camryn needs a doctor…yes…thanks, bye."

"What was that all about?"

"When MI6 gets a distress signal from us, they call me to make sure it's not a false alarm. They're sending a team to pick us up."

"What if Rothman doesn't find us at the bunker? She's going to know something's wrong."

"That doesn't matter right now," Alex said sternly. "You need a doctor to fix your arm."

I opened my mouth to argue, but then decided against it. As the sun disappeared and the sky grew dark a few hours later, the air became chilly. I drew my knees into my chest to stay warm. And so I sat there on the floor of the boat, waiting to be rescued. A cold breeze blew by, and I shivered. I felt a little light-headed since I had lost a good amount of blood. Alex took off his jacket again and draped it over my like a blanket. I was about to tell him to take it back, but he spoke first.

"You're shivering."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

I tossed the jacket onto his lap. "You're going to get cold and get sick."

"So are you, but you need it more than I do." Alex tired to put the jacket over me again, but I pushed it away.

"I don't need it; I'm fine."

"Why are you being so argumentative?!" Alex shouted angrily at me.

I cringed. I've never heard Alex yell before. This was the first time that he's ever been angry with me. He had always been very patient, but all of a sudden, he was having a really short, hot temper. Alex sighed and put the jacket back on. Then he scooted over to me and wrapped his arms around me, but there was nothing warm about his embrace.

"You feel really tense, Alex," I said softly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm really worried is all."

I then realized that Alex cared about me in a way that I didn't understand. He loved me, and that was a feeling that I didn't know. The warmth of his body eventually put me to sleep.


	11. Discovered

When I woke up, I was in my room in Mrs. Jones' apartment. My left shoulder was sore. There was a fresh bandage wrapped around the wound. I guessed that my shoulder had been tended to because my T-shirt had been taken off. I sat up and found Alex sitting at the foot of my bed, looking as though he were deep in thought.

"Oh my God!" I shrieked. I yanked the blanket over my chest. Thank God I was at least wearing a bra!

Caught my surprise, Alex jumped.

"What are you doing in my room?!" I yelled at him.

Alex began to blush. "Well…I-I was just waiting for you to wake up. Do you want me to go?"

"Please and thank you!" Duh!

Alex half-smiled. "I'll be in the living room."

Once Alex was gone, I got out of bed and went to the closet to change. Killer pain surged through my left arm and shoulder when I tried to put a shirt on. I slowly worked my arm through the sleeve, clenching my teeth to control the pain. I put on a pair of jeans and left my room. Alex was seated comfortably on the couch. I sat on the edge of the oak coffee table across from him. He sat up and took my hands in his.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I'm tired. I'm in pain. Other than that, I'm okay."

Alex leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Mrs. Jones told me to tell you that the bullet only pierced flesh, so you'll be okay soon."

"That's good. I'm glad my gun arm isn't injured. We have to get back to Scorpia before they suspect anything."

"That's taken care of."

"How?"

"When MI6 came to pick us up, they made it look like an arrest because Scorpia could see us from satellite feeds. We're going to wait until your shoulder heals before we do anything to get back."

"How are we going to get back?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. Mr. Blunt will figure something out."

"If we wait too long, we can't go back. Rothman will get suspicious. We need to find a way back within a week."

"But, Cam, you need time to heal."

"I know, but if we don't at least try to go back soon, we'll blow the whole thing."

"Well, Mrs. Jones said that she wants us at headquarters once you wake up. So I guess we should go then."

We left the apartment and took a cab to the bank. Mr. Blunt, Mrs. Jones, and Smithers were waiting for us in the conference room. Alex and I sat down at the table. Mrs. Jones started a recorder.

"Now that the two of you are here, would you be so kind to debrief us on the Scorpia assignment?" Mr. Blunt prompted.

Alex started from arriving in Venice and told all the events up until arriving at Malagosto. I picked up there and explained about all the events that took place there until I fell asleep on the boat. Both Alex and I left out all the personal details.

"Did you get all that, Mrs. Jones?" Mr. Blunt asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Jones replied, clicking the stop button on the recorder.

"Good. Now we need to devise a plan to get the two of you back to Scorpia."

"So soon?" Alex asked.

"Probably not. We need to make plans ahead of time to be ready."

"While you're deciding this," Smithers chimed in, "I'd like to speak to Camryn in my office."

Mr. Blunt nodded. I stood up and followed Smithers to his office.

"How are things going with Alex?" he asked quietly.

"Okay, I guess," I answered hesitantly. "I don't know how long this will last."

"Does he believe you?"

"Yes."

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't know. This whole thing is messing with my head. My feelings keep getting in the way."

"Do you feel like you're falling for Alex?"

"Yes – I mean no. Well-" I paused. "I don't know. I keep reminding myself that he's just my friend, but sometimes I feel different."

"In that case, just keep going and see how things work out."

"I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean? It hasn't even been twelve hours, and you're saying that you've had enough?"

"I can't lie to him! He's my best friend. I can't do this to him."

"I don't think there's anything else you can do."

I sighed. How long could I keep this up? I turned and went back to the conference room.

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones were gone. Alex was waiting by the door. We left the bank and caught another cab back to the apartment. Soon enough, we were sitting in the living room again.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"They said that the two of us should talk about it first."

"So, what do you think?"

"I don't know." Suddenly, Alex sounded distracted.

"Are you okay?" I touched his hand, and he looked up at me. His eye were unreadable, but still somewhat…sad…

"Tell me, Cam, that you haven't been lying to me about your feelings."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I shook my head. "No, I don't." Did he overhear me talking to Smithers?

"I head you talking to Smithers." Oh crap…I'm screwed.

"Well-" I started to explain, but Alex cut me off.

"You don't need to explain. I know it was just for the sake of the assignment."

"That's not all."

"Really…" Alex muttered sarcastically.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Alex. I really didn't. I felt terrible about telling you that I think no more of you than just a friend."

"And you thought you'd make it better by lying to me," Alex finished for me.

"I know I screwed up, and I'm really sorry."

We were silent for a while.

"Can you forgive me?" I asked finally.

"I don't know," Alex said.

I can't say that I was surprised by his answer. I kind of saw it coming, but hey – I deserved it.

"You took a gamble with my feelings," Alex continued. "You hurt me more than you could ever know."

"I'm sorry," I said again. I felt so pathetic. I couldn't think of anything else to say. Then I remembered something Alex had said to me yesterday.

"I was just waiting for you to realize you feelings," he had told me.

"Yesterday, you said that you were waiting for me to realize my feelings," I said. "What made you think-"

"I was wrong," Alex interrupted. "Everything with you felt so real to me. I truly believed that you had feelings for me that you wouldn't admit or didn't notice. It turns out that you didn't."

I bit my lip in anger at myself. I didn't notice I was crying until Alex asked me why I was. I couldn't answer him. I broke down into hysterical sobs. Why _was_ I crying anyway?

Alex touched my hand. "Cam, stop crying," he pleaded.

I couldn't stop. Suddenly, I felt as thought the sky was falling, and my entire world was coming undone. I had always felt safe and secure around Alex, but that was all different now. I felt so stupid. I could have had the perfect boyfriend, but I screwed up. I threw away any chance I had of being with Alex. At that moment, he was everything to me. After a while, I finally stopped crying.

"You should go," I told Alex. He silently agreed and left me alone to mope in my misery.

* * *

That night, Mrs. Jones drove me to Albert Bridge in London. We were making an exchange with Scorpia. Some of Rothman's agents had kidnapped Mr. Blunt's two kids.

"I didn't know Mr. Blunt had kids," I had said when Mrs. Jones explained the situation to me.

"He does. That means we'll have to give you back to Julia Rothman sooner than we hoped," Mrs. Jones had told me.

I stood leaning casually against Mrs. Jones' car. The night was dark and quiet. It was so foggy that I could barely see fifteen feet in front of me. The bridge was very dimly light since some of the light from the full moon couldn't penetrate the thick mist. Finally, Mr. Blunt's car pulled up. He and Alex climbed out.

"It's midnight," Mr. Blunt said. "Scorpia should be on the other side." His cell phone rang. He answered it immediately. "Where are my children? Yes, they're here…no, let me speak to them…but - …fine. They're coming." He hung up and nodded to Alex and me.

We started across the bridge and disappeared into the fog. A moment later, Alex and I were lost in the thick cloud of mist. After walking about half way, two small children appeared out of the fog. The boy looked about seven, and the girl looked about five. They were crying and whimpering, clutching each other's hands in pure terror. I walked over to the kids and squatted down in front of them.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

"I want Mum and Daddy," the little girl wailed.

"Shh…" I hushed her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Where's Daddy?" the little boy asked frantically.

"He's just ahead of you. Look, I want you two to run as fast as you can off this bridge, okay?"

Both kids nodded.

I smiled at them. "Alright, good. Now run."

The two kids raced into the foggy night. I stood up and continued across the bridge with Alex. Rothman and Nile were waiting on the other side. There was also a car waiting.

"Get in the car," Rothman said.

Alex and I climbed into the car. Nile jumped into the driver's seat, and Rothman got into the passenger side. Nile hit the gas and we sped away.

"It's good to have you two back," Rothman said. "We postponed the test just for you. Now, Camryn, about that shoulder…do you think you can still compete?"

"I know I can," I answered with confidence.

"Good. I rescheduled the test for tomorrow afternoon. We're meeting in the dorm lobby at two o' clock."

Finally, this is what I've been waiting for.


	12. Battle Royale

The next day, I slept until one in the afternoon. I pulled on a pair of black mesh shorts and a gray T-shirt. I tied my hair back and went over to Alex's room. He had already changed and was ready to go. He wore khaki shorts and a dark green T-shirt.

"Hey, Cam," he greeted, sounding like his normal self again. It seemed as if nothing had happened.

"Alex, about yesterday-"

"I took it harder than I should have. I overreacted. It's okay, really. I understand."

"But-"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

I sighed. I was dying to tell Alex how I felt about him. I guessed now was a bad time. "So we're cool?"

Alex smiled a little and hugged me. "Yeah. We're cool."

"Are you ready for this?" I asked him.

"I don't know, Cam. I don't want to kill."

"If you have to, can you do it?"

"I think so."

* * *

At two, we headed down to the lobby where five other competitors were standing around. There was Rei looking somewhat hung over (I don't know why). Sheila was a nervous wreck. Tom gave Alex and me murderous looks. There were two other men in their late twenties that I didn't recognize. But the one guy looked kind of familiar. He gave me the chills. The other guy looked like a crazy Russian (really, he did!). Rothman walked into the lobby.

"Each of you will be entering the testing grounds through separate gates. The gates lead to a tunnel that you will follow to the end. From there, you have to find the other competitors, and you know what to do. Right now, I'm taking you to the weapon storage where you will choose up to five weapons. Then you will go to the testing grounds and begin. At midnight, we will pick up any survivors. If more than one of you survives, we will continue the test tomorrow afternoon."

We followed Rothman to the weapon storage beneath the martial arts facility. I watched people pick their weapons. Most of them went for handguns and six-inch blades – typical. Alex took two handguns with a few clips of ammo, two hand grenades, and a switchblade. The creepy guy chose next. He went to the handgun rack and picked up two Glochs. Then he picked up a pack of shuriken. Glochs and shuriken…odd combo…but it seemed familiar. I chose next. I happened to prefer Glochs too, so I took one with a leg holster and attached it to my right thigh. I picked up a hand grenade and stuck it in my pocket. Those were always fun. I picked a sniper rifle, a McMillan TAC-50 long range (the best gun ever made), with a backpack of accessories for the rifle. I took a switchblade and tossed it into the backpack. Hm…did I want a fifth weapon? Oh heck, might as well grab an extra gun – just in case. I put a second Gloch into the backpack. I didn't pay much attention to anyone else's choices.

Within half an hour, I was standing in front of a metal gate. Beyond it was a long concrete tunnel. Alex stood beside me.

"GO!" Rothman yelled. The gates opened. Everyone began walking through the tunnels. Alex and I ran ahead. I needed to find a good vantage point to set my rifle. We reached the end of the tunnel and found ourselves surrounded by lush, green vegetation. I looked around for a good place to set up. An elevate place would be perfect. Now, if only I could find one… As I wandered around searching, Alex pulled a spool of wire from his pocket and began setting up traps. Finally, I found a tall tree with a canopy of thick leaves. I grabbed a branch and began climbing. Let me tell you, climbing with an injured shoulder was H-E-double hockey sticks. Yeah, it sucked monkey butt. At last, I reached the canopy of dense green. I stared out from the leaves and branches. I had a perfect view. I took a little telescope out of the backpack, focused it, and looked all around me. There was no one within a three-mile radius. I set up the rifle and unlocked the trigger. Then I waited. About twenty minutes later, I heard high-pitched screams of terror and pain. It had to be Sheila. Then three shots rang out. I grabbed the scope and did a quick scan. I was right. I found Sheila lying on the ground about five miles away, face up with five shuriken stuck in her body and three bullet holes. I felt like vomiting. I peeked out of the leaves to see if Alex was finished. We communicated with a system of signals.

_Are you done?_ I signaled.

Alex shook his head. He tugged on his ear and made a cutting motion across his neck. _I heard it. Someone's dead._ He began working faster. I looked through the scope again. I didn't see anyone. Good, we were clear for the time being. Alex held up a fist, signaling that he was done. He climbed into a thick mass of plants to conceal himself. And so we waited…and waited…and waited some more. The next time I checked my watch, three hours had passed. I was getting bored and sleepy. Just as I was falling asleep, an explosion scared the crap out of me. I snatched up the scope again and searched for the source of the explosion. About a mile and a half away, there was figure lying face down surrounded by burning chunks of bark. I could just barely see tiny traces of wire. Alex had used a grenade in his wire traps. I didn't know that he went out that far. Jeez, he was good. The figure moved, slowly getting onto his hands and knees. I switched to the scope on the rifle. I took aim, steadying the rifle against my right shoulder. The man lifted his head. It was Tom, the scumbag who wanted to slit my throat. It was about time he was reunited with his brother. Without another thought, I pulled the trigger. I checked the perimeter again – no one else. I relaxed and waited again, checking the perimeter over half hour or so. 11:30 rolled around – still nothing. Was everyone else already eliminated? Oh well, another half hour, and we were done for the day. I heard something rustling beneath the tree. I peered through the leaves and looked around. I saw the creepy guy holding Alex at gunpoint. How did this happen without my noticing?! Oh, God, what do I do?

"Hello, Camryn," the creepy guy called. "I know you're up there."

I shuddered. That voice – it haunted my worst nightmares. It was the voice of Hunter Grey – the serial killer that I was supposed to terminate. He was the one I was supposed to kill, not that little boy. No wonder he seemed so familiar. The creepy face, the Glochs, the shuriken, the way Sheila was murdered – I should have known.

Suddenly, everything was coming together and making sense. Hunter Grey was on "vacation" to America from the U.K. Both the CIA and MI6 were hunting him. I screwed up my assignment. My superiors thought that Grey would go for Scorpia. Then they sent me to MI6, without my knowing, and MI6 is going after Scorpia – indirectly going after Grey. So I was still on the Hunter Grey case without knowing that I was. How does the CIA manipulate me so easily?! Or am I just retarded?

"Come down, Camryn," Grey called to me.

I stayed where I was. I took the Gloch from its holster and took aim.

"Put the gun down," Grey said. "Don't cross me. Your boyfriend's life is in my hands."

Grey positioned himself directly behind Alex, so I didn't have a clear shot. I lowered the gun and slowly climbed down a few branches. I stopped about fifteen feet above the ground and raised the gun again, waiting for an opening.

Grey laughed at me. "That's not a good idea, Camryn. You might shoot the wrong person."

My hands began to shake with fear and rage. Seeing my unstable state, Grey let down his guard. I dropped from the branch to the ground. Alex brought the heel of his shoe into Grey's shin. He pulled himself out of the man's grip and kicked the gun from his hand. I lunged forward and threw my fist squarely into Grey's jaw, knocking him sideways. While he was dazed and off balance, I followed up with a knee into his stomach. Grey crumpled to his knees. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled on it as hard as I could with my shaking hands.

"How do you know my name?" I asked. Being a sniper, I was supposed to be an unknown identity.

"I know everything about you, my dear," Grey sneered. Alex kicked him the stomach, but Grey continued to speak. "You're fifteen years old. You were born in New York City on November 7, 1991. Your mother died in a car crash when you were four. Your father was murdered when you were thirteen. Your uncle was killed by a sniper just a few weeks ago. You're an outstanding soccer player. You go to-"

"Shut up!" I yelled at him. How could he know so much about me? Suddenly, a cold, sharp pain shot through my left thigh. I stumbled back a few steps. Grey had buried a shuriken deep into my leg. The next thing I felt was Grey's combat boot in my stomach. I fell backward dazed and hurt. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex charge at the man.

"You son of a-"

Alex never got the full insult out of his mouth. Grey fired a handful of shuriken at him. Five deadly blades stuck into Alex's chest. Grey moved to finish him off. I stumbled to my feet and wobbled. Grey sent me back to the ground with a nonchalant backhand across my face. He fired another throwing star into my right arm.

"I'll deal with you later," he growled. He turned back to Alex and planted a shuriken into his leg. Alex howled with pain. Grey pushed the blade further into Alex's thigh with his boot. Alex's desperate screams pierced my heart. Grey repeated the action with Alex's other leg and both his arms. As Alex was tortured, all I could do was lie there, watch, and cry. Finally, my senses returned to me. I yanked the blade out of my arm and hurled it into the back of Grey's head. The blade didn't penetrate as far as I wanted it to since my left arm was weaker than my right. I leaped to my feet and sent a solid sidekick into Grey's ribcage. He fell and landed on his back. The force of his fall pushed the blade deeper into his brain, piercing the occipital lobe and immediately killing him. His sightless eyes stared up at me. I sank to my knees and sobbed. I wasn't sure why. Suddenly, I felt I was Grey's equal. I was a killer just like him. I was a sick, cold-blooded killer. Alex's faint voice finally broke through my thoughts.

"Cam," he called weakly.

I knelt beside him. "Are you okay, Alex?"

Alex chuckled a little. "I wish I knew the answer to that."

I couldn't hold back a smile. Alex was probably in horrible pain and was bleeding immensely, but he still kept his sense of humor. He was lucky that his vital organs remained intact.

"Hey, what time is it?" Alex asked.

I looked at my watch. "11:45. Rothman should be out to pick us up in about fifteen minutes."

"Good. I'm glad it's over."

I couldn't help thinking, _No. It's not over._


	13. Doom

I sat on the bed trembling and sobbing. I hadn't gotten any sleep at all. It was already three in the afternoon of the day after the test. I'd been crying off and on for the past fifteen hours. Alex had been with Malagosto's doctors since we got back last night, so I had no one to comfort me.

Mrs. Rothman came into my room and sat beside me. "Are you okay, Camryn?"

I shook my head. "I can't do this. I can't kill again."

"What happened to you during the test?"

"Hunter Grey-" I began – then I couldn't go on any further.

Rothman put her arm around my shoulders. "Alex told me about that. What you're feeling right now is completely normal after the first kill."

"But this wasn't my first kill. I've worked for the CIA as a sniper for about a year. I've never felt this way before."

"It's okay. Every assassin has to start somewhere, and the beginnings are always rough." Rothman patted my hair. I had always thought this woman was cold and cruel, but actually, she had a mother's comforting touch.

"You know what?" Rothman began.

"What?"

"You remind me of myself when I began working for Scorpia. I had killed prior to my test, and I'd never felt any remorse for the dead. After about a year of killing for Scorpia, I began to realize what a horrible murderer I was. Eventually, I got over the feeling. Once you get over this feeling, you won't just be an ordinary human. You become one of the elite. You feel so powerful. You feel confident. As on of the elite, you can lead and rule without question. You're above the rest of this pathetic world."

I took in every word. I believed every word. Rothman suddenly changed from a cold-blooded assassin to a mom – my mom.

"If you ever need to talk to me, just give me a call." Rothman dropped a folded paper onto my lap and left.

* * *

It had been a week since the test. I was back in Venice and alone. A few days ago, Alex and Rothman had a private conversation discussing Alex's father, John Rider. Alex came back from that conversation angry and disturbed. Rothman sent him on a mission yesterday morning. Alex didn't tell me where he was going or what he was doing. He just hugged me, said, "I love you," and left. I checked my watch. It was seven in the evening. Alex should have called me to pick him up four hours ago.

I stood up and began pacing back and forth across Rothman's office. A few minutes later, Rothman rushed through the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Camryn," she apologized as she seated herself behind the desk. "Have you heard from Alex yet?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Alex was supposed to call me to pick him up in Turin at three o' clock. It's six after seven. I'm worried about Alex."

Rothman frowned thoughtfully. "He must have run into some trouble – probably MI6."

"MI6? What's Alex doing in the U.K.?"

"You should ask him when he gets back. If he doesn't contact you by ten tonight, then we'll go get him personally."

I sighed. "Okay." Why was Alex in the U.K.? What was he doing over there?

"Camryn?"

"Huh?"

"I know you're worried about Alex, but try to relax. He's on a…personal mission in London."

"He left without telling me where he was going or what he was doing. Alex always tells me everything."

"Maybe when he's ready to talk about it, he'll tell you."

I nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Actually, there's one more thing. I understand that you are without a guardian – no one to look after you."

"Yeah?"

"Camryn, I want to adopt you."

Whoa – what?! "A-are you serious?" I stuttered. That was so randomly random! I was expecting Rothman to start laughing and say, "Just kidding!"

"I'm serious. I would love to have you for a daughter. You don't have to answer me now. Think about it."

I nodded, put on my sunglasses, and left. Just as I stepped out the front door of the mansion, my cell phone rang. And caller ID says…Alex Rider.

"Alex, where are you?!" I asked frantically.

"Cam, I'm in Turin," Alex said shakily. He sounded scared.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not. Oh, God…when can you get here?"

"I'll be there in about an hour."

"I'm so scared, Cam."

"Everything's going to be fine. I'm going by helicopter. Just hang on for another hour."

"Where should I meet you?"

"No need. I'll track your phone. I'll see you soon, Alex."

"Cam, wait."

"I'm still here." There was a pause.

"I love you," Alex said, sounding as though he was crying.

"I know. Just hang in there, okay?"

"Yeah."

I ended the call and called the Scorpia transport office.

"This is Albright," I said. "I need a helicopter on Rothman's landing field right now."

"Yes, ma'am."

I ended that call and dialed Rothman's number as I headed toward the landing field.

"What is it, Camryn?"

"Alex just called. I'm going to pick him up in Turin now. I'll be back in about two and half hours – three tops."

"Alright. Be careful and good luck."

"Thanks." I hung up and jogged the rest of the way to the landing field. A helicopter landed just as I arrived. Wow, Scorpia goons were quick to fulfill the demands of the elite. I smiled – this job had perks (Yeah, that's right, I said _job _– I'm getting paid). I climbed into the helicopter and jammed on a headset.

"To Turin," I ordered in Italian. "As fast as you can go."

Turin is a city in Italy just across the border with France. One of Rothman's goons was supposed to pick up Alex in London and drop him off in Turin. For the hour ride, I was restless. Alex was all I could think about. The helicopter finally landed after what seemed like an eternity. I was on the helicopter landing beside a hospital. I took out my cell phone and began tracking the GPS signal from Alex's phone. I made my way off of hospital grounds, evading security guards and cameras. I managed to reach the streets of Turin without being detected by hospital security. I followed the GPS tracker on my phone and found myself in a dark alley. It was eight, and night was setting in. I followed the alley to a brick wall – dead end. Something on the ground caught my eye. I crouched down and picked it up. It was Alex's phone. I began to panic. Where was he? Was he okay? In my rearview sunglasses, I thought I saw something moving behind me but ignored it A cold, clammy hand clamped over my mouth. I was pulled out of view of any passing civilians.

"Cam, it's me. Don't scream." Alex released me and I relaxed.

"Jesus Christ, Alex! You scared the living crap out of me!" I scolded, pulling of the sunglasses.

He smiled weakly. "Sorry."

I sighed. I couldn't be angry with Alex; I loved him too much. "What happened to you? You sounded terrible on the phone."

"Mrs. Rothman showed me how my father died. MI6 killed him. Mrs. Jones authorized his assassination. I was sent to kill her."

"Did you?"

"No, I couldn't. Mrs. Jones tricked me. In the apartment, the whole time, she was standing behind bulletproof glass. I didn't know about it. I fired wide anyway. Cam, I couldn't do it." Alex began to sound like a frantic little child.

I hugged him. "It's okay."

"The police arrested me. Then I had to face Mr. Blunt. He told me terrible things. We can't go back to Scorpia, Cam."

"Why not? We have to."

"No. Mrs. Rothman has a plan to kill thousands of teenagers."

"How?"

"Her new project, Invisible Sword, is designed to kill all teenagers of the age of fifteen. All fifteen-year-olds had to be vaccinated for meningitis before the start of term. In the vaccination are microscopic gold nanoshells. Inside the nanoshells is cyanide. Terahertz beams will be transmitted to break up the gold, and every vaccinated fifteen-year-old in the U. K. is going to die."

"How do you know this?"

"Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones told me."

"Oh my God," I choked. I couldn't believe it. The woman who had been like a mother to me for the past week – the woman who wanted to adopt me – was going to kill all these innocent kids.

Tears began rolling from Alex's eyes. "Cam, tell me you love me."

"What? Why?"

"Just say it," he pleaded desperately.

"Alex, what's going on?"

Alex held me tightly and sobbed. "I'm going to die."

The harsh reality struck me hard. I tried to refuse to believe it. "No, you're going to be fine."

"I was vaccinated in August. There's nothing we can do. I can't go back to Scorpia. I can't face Mrs. Rothman – not with my knowledge of Invisible Sword."

"Alex, we have to. We have to find a way to stop her."

"I can't do this. I'm really sorry, but you're on your own for this."

"But, Alex-"

"I love you, Cam, I really do. But if go back with you, I might blow you cover. That could get you killed."

"I can't do this alone." Now it was my turn to cry.

"I'm sorry-"

"Look, if you run, I'm going with you," I told Alex. "If we both run, you're going to die, and I'll have to watch it happen. Don't do that to me, Alex. Don't make me watch you die."

Alex didn't reply. He just stared at me. After a while he decided that I was right. "Let's go."


	14. Revelation

Alex and I were back at the suite again that night. Alex was really quiet, still shaken. Finally, I spoke.

"Rothman wants to adopt me," I told Alex.

"You can't be serious."

"Believe it or not, I am."

"What did you say to her?"

"Nothing yet. I can use that to my advantage. Maybe I can get some details on Invisible Sword."

"Do you really think we can stop it?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how yet."

"So you're going to tell Mrs. Rothman that you want to be her kid?"

"Sure. Hopefully, she'll believe me."

"She will – you're good at lying." Ouch…that hurt. Seeing my pained expression, Alex realized what he said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did."

"Cam, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for speaking the truth." I went into the bedroom and locked the door. I flopped onto the bed and cried myself to sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I'm falling…weightlessly free falling. I love the feeling. The rush of adrenaline takes my mind off all my problems and worries. I open my eyes, and I realize I'm not falling but flying. I see Venice below me. Hey, there's Rothman's mansion. I fly lower. In the Western tower of the mansion is a huge satellite dish, probably for the TV. I fly around the mansion. Nothing's really going on. I fly by an open window and hear angry voices. One is Nile's. The other is Rothman's._

_"What do we do with the boy?" Rothman asks._

_"Throw him off the tower. Make it look like he committed suicide," Nile answers._

_"What about the cyanide? That will be discovered in the autopsy."_

_"Just forget about the cyanide and throw him in the sea. It'll be near impossible to find the body."_

_A little while later, Rothman's car pulls out of the driveway. I follow it to the cliffs where Alex and I had once almost lost our lives. Rothman and Nile climb out and open the trunk. I see a boy bound with ropes and gagged. I hover lower to get a better view. My heart stops. I'm terrified. The two Scorpia assassins haul Alex out of the trunk. He struggles as they push him to the edge, but he can't break loose. Nile gives Alex one final shove. Alex loses his balance. I dive down and grab his hand. He loses his footing on the cliff. I struggle to hold on to him._

_"Let me go, Cam," Alex tells me._

_"I can't. I won't."_

_"Let go, or you die with me."_

_"I don't care."_

_"Cam, don't do this. Let me go."_

_Too late. The air releases me. Alex and I fall. Alex pulls me close as we fall to our death. Just before we hit the water, I pull together every ounce of courage I have. I have to let him know. I can't die peacefully if I don't._

_"I love you, Alex."  
_

* * *

My eyes snapped open. Alex was standing over me, gripping my shoulders. I gasped for air. I sat up and grabbed Alex, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay, Cam," he said. "You're safe. You're okay."

"I love you," I blurted out in confession.

"I know."

* * *

Alex and I sat in the living room of Rothman's castle-like mansion. Rothman and Nile came into the room.

"The two of you are going to witness Scorpia's greatest project," Rothman said. "We're taking a little trip back to the U.K."

"What kind of project?" I asked.

"One that will change the course of this world completely. Thousands of people will die. It can't be stopped. The doomed can't be saved."

Oh, wonderful. I wondered if she knew that Alex had been vaccinated. Did she know she was going to kill Alex? She had to know…

So the four of us piled into Rothman's car and went to Rothman's private landing strip. There was a small jet waiting for us. We climbed aboard and headed back to the U.K. During the ride, Alex couldn't sit still. He was nervous, and I don't blame him. Once we landed, a car picked us up and drove us to an abandoned church called The Church of Forgotten Saints. The Roman architecture was amazing. The steps lead up to a rectangular section. Beyond that was a dome. We walked up the marble steps to the bronze doors that had turned green with age. There were statues lining the stairs to the door. They were all crippled from the wearing of age and weather.

"Let's go in," Rothman said leading the way. She walked up to the middle door, and it opened electronically upon arrival – kind of like the doors at the supermarket. That was odd.

Rothman saw the confused look on my face and chuckled. "Scorpia took over this building a few years ago and made some adjustments."

Alex and I followed the other two assassins inside. We entered the grand hall. Everything was dusty and gray. Rothman continued forward as Alex and I marveled at the old building. Arc lamps overhead flashed on as if cued by Rothman's footsteps. Simultaneously, five doors slid open. Alex and I proceeded forward into the dome. Black and white tiles lay in a pattern on the floor. Stained-glass windows and an old, beaten, and worn organ highlighted the age of the church. The place was filled with electronic equipment. The modern machines clashed terribly with the classical church. There were about a dozen people working the machines. Another dozen served as guards wielding automatic machine guns.

"It's all wrong," Alex whispered to me. "Kellner said that the terahertz dishes would be on a tall building."

Mark Kellner was the prime minister's director of communications. Indeed, he was wrong. The terahertz dishes were attached to a hot-air balloon. A team of six men was inflating the balloon that had been painted white and blue to blend into the sky. Four terahertz dishes were attached to the bottom of the basket.

"Are we going for a balloon ride?" Alex asked Rothman.

She shook her head. "The balloon is going to rise above the church. The ropes will keep it at a thousand feet. Once it reaches a thousand feet, the dishes will automatically activate and send terahertz beams all over London."

"What's the motivation behind this?"

Rothman eyed Alex suspiciously. "We made impossible demands of the American government that they can't comply to. Because they didn't meet our demands, thousands will die. In a few months, we'll launch Invisible Sword again but in New York City."

I bit down hard on my lip to keep my anger at bay. New York – my home – would fall to this mad woman if I didn't stop her. My friends who I've known since elementary school would die.

"This will destroy the alliance between the Americans and the British," Rothman continued. "Along the way, Scorpia will also gain twenty-five million dollars."

"You're sick, Rothman," Alex muttered. "Killing children to get rich."

My heart stopped. Alex had yet another slip of tongue. Rothman bore her black eyes into him. I nervously tugged at my jacket, waiting for her reaction.

"I never said anything about children," she said menacingly.

"There will be adults and children who will die," Alex said, trying to cover for himself.

"Someone else has told you that children are the targets of Invisible Sword. Who told you?"

"No one told me," Alex lied.

"What's that in your mouth?"

"A retainer."

"You didn't have one on Malagosto."

"I didn't have it in then."

"Take it out."

Alex didn't move.

"Don't make me take it out myself, because – mark my words – I will bash your head open with a hammer to get it out."

Alex reluctantly took the retainer out and held it out for Rothman to see. Circuitry and a switch made it obvious that it wasn't an ordinary retainer. I realized it was a homing device.

"Drop it," Rothman ordered.

Alex obeyed. Rothman stomped on it, cracking the plastic. When she lifted her foot, we saw that it had broken clear in half. The device was useless.

I stared at Alex in disbelief.

"I told you to search him!" Rothman screamed at Nile.

"I did. I only didn't check his mouth."

"Mrs. Jones is still alive, isn't she?"

Alex didn't answer. I slapped him hard across the face.

"I can't believe you, Alex!" I shouted, slapping him on the other side of his face. I pulled my arm back to punch him, but Rothman caught my wrist.

"Calm down, Camryn."

I struggled against her.

"Camryn, I know you're upset, but don't worry. We'll take care of him."

I finally relaxed. Rothman put her hand on my shoulder.

"Alex will die with all the other fifteen-year-olds in London," she said.

Suddenly, glass shattered. A smoke grenade flew through the broken window. I smiled. Our plan worked. Smoke began to fill the church. Alex attacked the three guards closest to us. Nile reached for his samurai swords, but I was quicker. I drove my elbow hard into his ribcage. Rothman stared at me, shocked. I drove her into the ground with a roundhouse kick to the chest.

"Camryn – you…" She couldn't find the words to express her astonishment. "I can't believe-"

"Sabotage, Corruption, Intelligence, and Assassination – that's what you taught me. Didn't you ever think that it might come back and bite you in the ass?"


	15. All Coming Together

I heard gunfire outside. MI6 was here and fighting Scorpia's forces. The balloon was rising out of the dome. The ceiling of the dome had been pulled open by hydraulic arms. Alex and I ran to the balloon. We grabbed onto the ropes hanging from the basket of the balloon. I climbed steadily, one shaking hand above the other. I wasn't afraid of heights, but I _was_ afraid of getting shot by any stray bullets from the fight below. My fears were fulfilled when two bullets hit my back. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, but I gripped the rope tight enough to keep me from falling. I recovered within a few seconds. Thank God for flak jackets. Finally, we reached the basket and hauled ourselves into it.

"Sorry if I hurt you," I apologized as the balloon floated upward.

Alex rubbed his cheek and smiled. "You can kiss me later."

The balloon was at four hundred feet and rising. We could see the SAS assault team sent by MI6. One soldier fired a warhead rocket at the balloon. I almost screamed, but the missile missed and hit the church instead. The SAS and Scorpia forces engaged in an all out battle. I looked down and saw Nile climbing up the rope. I cursed.

"Cam, the dishes are connected to this box. I think it's the main control." Alex flipped the box over. "We need to cut these wires."

"I don't have anything to cut with."

Alex swore. He put his foot on the box, grabbed a cable, and pulled. I did the same. My muscles screamed as I pulled at the cable. Finally, Alex's cable tore. He fell backward. I yanked a little harder, and mine tore too. Like Alex, I had a pleasant landing on my butt. Two more to go. The control box read eight hundred feet. A blade whizzed passed my ear. I screamed. I turned around – no one. Nile had to be just over the edge. I was right. Nile appeared over the edge of the basket. He reached back for his other sword but hesitated. Alex reacted quickly and punched him in the face. Nile lost his grip and fell. The balloon lurched. Alex looked down and swore as Nile's sword sliced into his left arm. I looked at the control box – one thousand feet. How long had we been at this height? I grabbed a sword and severed the last two cables. Did I cut them in time? Was I too late? Nile hauled himself into the basket and lunged at Alex with a third sword. He was slow and shaky – very unlike Nile. Then it hit me – Nile was afraid of heights. I thrust my sword into Nile's deflecting it. I kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling backward and wobbling over the side of the basket. That bought me some time to cut the ropes holding the balloon at a thousand feet. The flame carried the balloon higher and higher.

"Hey, we're going higher," I taunted.

Nile looked worried.

"Wow, everything's so tiny from up here!" Alex said, catching on.

"Shut up!" Nile raged, lunging for us.

Alex and I stepped out of the way. Nile missed and cut one of the ropes holding the basket to the balloon. The basket tipped slightly.

"Careful, Nile," I sneered. "It would suck if you fell from this kind of height. And we're still going up."

Nile threw his sword at me. I saw it coming, and ducked. The sword cut another rope. We were hanging by only two ropes. Alex took off his baggy sweatshirt and threw it into Nile's face. Nile flailed with insane, blinded terror. He backed up to the edge of the basket, fumbling to get the sweatshirt off his face. Alex and I stooped down, each grabbing one of Nile's legs and tipped him over the side. The assassin fell to his death about fifteen hundred feet below. Alex looked up and cursed.

"What is it?" I asked, looking up too. Holy crap – we're gonna die.

"RAF bomber planes. They're going to shoot the balloon down."

Alex took the sword from me and cut a third rope. The basket tilted at a dangerous angle.

"Alex! What are you doing?!" I screamed.

"Trust me!" Alex shouted back.

I saw that Alex had a backpack on his shoulders. He must have concealed a parachute under the sweatshirt. Alex grabbed the handle of the propane tank, which was pushing the balloon up higher still.

"Hold on to me," Alex commanded. I obeyed.

Alex threw the sword at the last rope but missed. He swore. Then I remembered the earrings Smithers had given me ages ago. I let go of Alex and grabbed onto the last rope. I took out the earrings and attached them to the rope. I held onto Alex again, and he threw his free arm around my waist. We waited for ten seconds and heard a loud _pop!_ The basket fell to the ground two thousand feet below.

"Ready?" Alex asked me.

"Now or never," I replied grimly.

Alex let go of the propane tank and we plunged to the earth. After a few seconds of falling, Alex deployed the parachute, and we floated down toward the chaos below. Alex steered the balloon toward the trees behind the church to avoid the gunfire. As we approached the ground, the parachute caught on a tree. Luckily, we were only about ten feet off the ground. I let go and rolled as soon as I made impact on the grass. Alex shrugged off the backpack, dropped, rolled, and landed beside me. I breathed deeply, trying to recover from the insane adrenaline rush that had gripped me for the past ten minutes.

"We're alive," Alex laughed breathlessly.

I turned my head to look at him. The afternoon sun beamed on Alex's gorgeous face. A light wind whipped his tousled blonde hair around his beautiful brown eyes. I smiled to myself and stood up. Alex followed suit. I bean to walk back toward the church, but Alex caught my hand and pulled me back. He gazed at me longingly.

"What?" I asked him.

"You still owe me a kiss," Alex reminded me. "Remember – for slapping me?"

I smiled. I'd completely forgotten about that. I circled my arms around Alex's neck and kissed him twice.

"There, one for each time I hit you. Satisfied?"

Alex nodded and kissed my forehead. "Now I'm ready to go back."

By the time Alex and I reached the church, MI6 was in control of the situation. A car picked us up and drove us back to the safety of headquarters on Liverpool Street. There we waited for Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt to come back from the fighting. Once they did, Alex and I debriefed them on the details of the rest of the assignment. Mrs. Jones then explained to Alex the truth about his father. John Rider really wasn't a Scorpia assassin.

"He was working for MI6 under deep cover inside Scorpia," Mrs. Jones explained.

"If he was working for you, then why did you kill him?" Alex asked.

"We didn't kill him. Mrs. Rothman fell in love with your father, so we decided we should pull him out. We staged a horrible gun fight and captured John. When we exchanged your father for George Adair on Albert Bridge, he wore a squib under his jacket and was shot with a blank. He faked his death so he wouldn't have to go back to Scorpia."

"Where is my father then?" Alex asked hopefully. "Is he still alive?"

Mrs. Jones took in a deep breath – a sign of bad news. "I'm afraid not. You see, Mrs. Rothman found out that she had been tricked. We sent your mother and father on vacation to France. Mrs. Rothman placed a bomb on their plane. You were supposed to be with them, but you had an ear infection at the last minute and had to stay home."

Alex sighed sadly.

"John Rider was the best spy to ever work for MI6 – even better than your uncle," Mr. Blunt said. "We really hope that you will follow in his footsteps."

Alex looked up at Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt. "I don't know about that. But at least I can be proud of my father."

"And now about Camryn…" Mr. Blunt mused.

"What about me?" I asked.

"We need to figure out who is going to look after you."

"I'd be glad to adopt Camryn," Mrs. Jones chimed in.

"What? Are you serious?" I asked. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to adopt me…

Mrs. Jones nodded. "I'd hate to see you living with foster parents you don't know. Besides, most American foster children change homes every few months."

"I'd have to become a British citizen. I'd leave behind my home that I grew up in. I'd have to resign from the CIA and deal with a ridiculous mass of paperwork. I'd have to ship everything I own over here. It's going to be some messy business."

"Do you think it's worth the trouble?" Mrs. Jones asked me.

I thought about it. My friends in New York probably won't miss me too much. Besides, I've been in the U.K. for four months, and none of my friends have called me in three months – pretty pathetic. I glanced over at Alex for a sign of what he thought about the situation. He just smiled at me. I made up my mind.

"Yeah, it's worth it."

* * *

I'm sitting in History again, but I'm not complaining this time. It's so nice to get back into the normal rhythm of life. I'm just a kid again. I'm struggling to stay awake in class instead of struggling to survive on Malagosto. I'm battling homework instead of battling world-renowned assassins. I never thought I would say this, but a boring life is somewhat nice. I mean, no cares, no worries. No being chased by assassins in the middle of nowhere, no dealing with mad women who want to kill children for money, no parachuting out of hot-air balloons. I smile to myself, now grateful for the life I have. I wonder if my mission partner feels the same.

I glance over at the boy sitting next to me. His head is resting on his arms on his desk. His dusty blonde hair hangs over his closed eyes. His shoulders and back move up and down to his rhythmic, peaceful breathing. Mr. Oakland slaps his meter stick on the boy's desk. He jolts awake and rubs his face sleepily.

"One more time and it's detention for you, mister," Mr. Oakland warns.

The boy mumbles something under his breath at our teacher. I bite my lip to stifle a giggle. It's hard to believe that this boy saved our entire class – more than that – every fifteen-year-old in London. And who is this boy, you ask?

His name is Rider…Alex Rider.


End file.
